The Darkest Day
by NukeRose
Summary: In which the guys find out about Dave's suicide attempt. In which they read his suicide note, and his poem telling them goodbye. Rated M for mentions of suicide attempts and strong language.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. The only thing I own is the poem at the end, which I actually wrote myself.**

**The story takes place two months before Dave's return to McKinley in "Return".**

It had been two months since "the Marauders", McKinley's most feared group of friends, imploded during the junior prom, after Dave Karofsky was voted the schools Prom Queen and cracked. It lead to a shouting match between him and Eyan Foreman, his best friend. Nasty things were thrown back and forth, while the other three "Marauders", Azimio Adams, Cody Brown and Santana Lopez stood by and watched helplessly.

The next day both Eyan and Dave departed McKinley. Dave headed for Thurston High School in South Lima, effectively going back into the closet along the way. He joined their football team, and played until he quit when he refuse to play against Lima, because he couldn't stomach playing against Azimio. After a month, he faded into the background and kept to himself. He refused to have any contact with anybody from his old life at McKinley.

Eyan exiled himself to his house, a depressed wreck who could barely summon the gumption to get out of bed every morning. He knew that Dave had only said the things he had said out of anger, fear, and hurt. It didn't do anything to decrease the pain, or the overwhelming sense of betrayal he had felt. After a month of wallowing in misery and seclusion, his health started slipping when he started taking comfort in food, until one day he collapsed in the kitchen and he had to be rushed to the hospital. While he was there, he underwent an emergency weight loss procedure that involved sucking out almost two hundred pounds of fat. Afterwards, he allowed some of his old friends to visit him, but only a few. Even at the end of those two months the only people Eyan allowed to visit were Cody, Azimio, Santana, Kurt, Finn, and Mr. Schue. All six of them were horrified at the state he was in. He was now borderline underweight and you could tell he wasn't sleeping well.

Anyway, a full 60 days had passed since that day in March, and the students were entering their last three weeks of the school year. Cody, Azimio and Santana arrived that morning like they always did, together. The loss of one friend, and the absence of the other took a huge toll on all three of the remaining "Marauders".

Without Eyan to counter her volatile and ferocious temper, Santana had become the most feared woman in McKinley High School. If you looked at her the wrong way, she would threaten to disembowel them with her bare hands. Cody threw himself into football and Glee after Eyan made the decision not to return to McKinley, and he spent a lot of his free time with Azimio in the school Gym, working out and lifting weights. Azimio tried not to let it show, but losing Dave as a friend hit him hard. He told Cody and Santana many times. He was afraid that, without Dave and Eyan, he was going to slip back to being the way he was before they had met Eyan.

The trio were sitting in their third hour Junior English class, reading a selection of poetry that the teacher said would be on the final exam. Cody sat in his chair, by the window, staring at the white board with a look of hatred. Poetry was never his forte. That was always Eyan's thing. Not only did he like to read it, he could write it. So could Dave, but Eyan was always better at it. Santana sat on the other side of the room, texting on her phone while the old fossil they had for a teacher droned on about the importance of poetry and what kind of poetry they would be expected to know for the exams. Azimio was doodling on a sheet of notebook paper.

There was a knock on the door, one of the students got up to answer it. The trio looked up to see that it was Mr. Schue. They took one look at his face and they could tell that something wasn't right.

He looked horrified. His eyes were sparkling with unshed tears.

"I need Cody, Santana, and Azimio to come with me right away. Bring your bags. You won't be coming back."

The Trio shared a look. A feeling of dread crawled up their collective spines. They could feel it in the air that something was horribly wrong. They followed him out into the hallway.

"What is it Mr. Schue? Why do you look like someone's just died?" Santana asked, meaning the last part as a joke.

Mr. Schue flinched, " Follow me guys. I'll tell you when we get to the office."

He led them to the main office, where they were all met with Ms. Pillsbury, Coach Bieste, Principal Figgins, and Coach Sylvester. They were led to a small conference room right down the hall. Once inside Coach Bieste gestured to the chairs.

"Have a seat guys." She said. Everybody took a seat.

"What's going on Mr. Schue? You're freaking us all out." Cody said, and Az and Santana nodded in agreement.

"When was the last time any of you three had contact with Dave Karofsky?" Coach Sylvester asked.

The Trio shared another look.

"Az was the last to hear from him. 'Bout a month and a half ago. We've tried since, but we haven't got any replies. He even deleted us on Facebook." Cody said. It was the teachers turn to share a look.

"When Dave transferred to Thurston, he effectively went back into the closet. Last Monday, his Facebook account was hacked, and everybody found out." Mr. Schue explained.

"They tortured David for it." Figgins continued.

"Until last night he just couldn't take it anymore." Coach Sylvester finished. "If it wasn't for his dad finding him in time..."

The Trio looked at them in horror. Azimio's eyes had widened to almost comical size and he was gripping the chairs arm in an iron grip. After a minute his face crumbled and he flew out of his chair towards the door. Coach Bieste intercepted him and grabbed a hold of him. He threw her hold off, and Cody and Santana flew to her assistance. Azimio started thrashing in their hold.

"No. NO! **NO!** _**NO!**_ GET OFF OF ME! GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF ME!"

"Mr. Adams, calm down." Figgins tried to say.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! T-THAT's MY B-B-BEST F-F-FRIEND!" He screamed as he struggled. Santana and Cody both wrapped him in a tight embrace, and Azimio completely fell apart. Loud, screaming sobs echoed through the halls for ten whole minutes before Az finally calmed down. Santana helped him back to his chair. They sat in silence for ten minutes. Cody broke the silence.

"How?"

"He tried to hang himself in his closet. His dad found him in time, but only just. He's in the hospital. Last time we checked he was still sedated. They've got him on suicide watch." Mr. Schue said.

Coach Bieste walked over and place an sheet of lined paper, along with a sealed envelope, in front of them.

Cody reached out and picked up the piece of paper.

**Dear Everybody,**

**I'm sorry. I am so sorry, but I can't take it anymore. It's only been a week. This is none of your faults. ****I am sorry if I disappointed you. It is not your fault. Just know that I am sorry, and I love you all very much. Give the envelope labeled #1 to Az, Cody and Santana. Give the other the Eyan. Tell them I love them, and make sure they know it. Tell them not to avoid the funeral. I want them as my pallbearers. **

**Oh, and mom. If you DARE to try and blame them for this, I will haunt you until the end of your miserable life.**

**Goodbye,**

**Dave.**

"These were sitting on the desk in his room. The envelope is labeled for you guys, so we'll let you open that yourselves. The other envelope is already on its way to Eyan's house." Mr. Schue said.

The adults left the room and left them alone.

Cody reached for the envelope and opened it. He took one look at it and knew what it was.

"It's a poem. He wrote us a poem." He said, "Should we read it?"

"Yeah." Santana said, "Might help us understand why he did this."

Az didn't say a word. He was practically catatonic.

Cody started to read aloud.

**"My life's become a prison  
><strong>**Plagued with the virus of suffering and pain  
><strong>**I can't handle the continued strain  
><strong>**I stand in a crowd, and scream for help  
><strong>**But no one cares enough to listen**

**Ostracized, by those I hold most dear  
><strong>**My life became a speeding car  
><strong>**With nobody at the wheel to steer  
><strong>**All because they found out I'm queer**

**My tormentors saw through my deception  
><strong>**Now I see, my life was doomed at inception  
><strong>**My friendship have been destroyed  
><strong>**My heart is now an empty void **

**The pain is driving me insane  
><strong>**So now I tie the rope  
><strong>**I cannot live a life with no hope  
><strong>**So now I say goodnight**

**Life holds nothing more for me  
><strong>**So the bliss of death will set me free  
><strong>**From my wallowing in misery  
><strong>**To endless sorrow, it's all I see.**

**I still can't see how this is real  
><strong>**I cannot bare this pain I feel.  
><strong>**Grief is all I can feel,  
><strong>**The only comfort I had was the booze I steel.**

**I'm so sorry I have to die,  
><strong>**But all I can do is say goodbye.  
><strong>**Az, San, Ey, Cody, I love you guys.  
><strong>**Try not to cry, I'll see you on the other side."**

As Cody finished reading, Azimio fell apart again. Cody and Santana got up and wrapped him in a group hug, and joined him in sobbing.

Across town in Lima General Hospital, Dave Karofsky regained consciousness. He took one look around and started crying at that fact he was alive.

Across town in a dark basement bedroom, Eyan Foreman sunk to his knees, the poem clutched in his hands.

He reared his head back and screamed at the top of his lungs.

The people who hurt Dave were gonna pay with blood.


End file.
